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Drainage PDF
Drainage PDF
D R A I N A G E
D
7
RAINAGE
DRAINAGE
7.1 Overview
Water is the main contributor to the
wear and damage of low-volume rural
roads. The water can be in the form of
ground water, surface water (streams
and rivers) or rain and it can damage
the road in several ways:
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Dr a i na ge of t he road su r f ac e i s
provided by shaping the carriageway
with a camber or a cross slope. The
combination of stagnant water on the
road surface and traffic can quickly
cause erosion of the road surface.
Secondly, if surface water penetrates
into the road body, it reduces the load
bearing capacity of the pavement,
which may cause further damage to
the road. To avoid these problems, it is
important to secure adequate drainage
of the road surface.
On most roads, the camber is roofshaped with the highest point at the
road centre line, with a descending
gradient towards the road shoulders. On
narrower local roads, the camber may
be constructed as a continuous slope
from one side of the road to the other.
This is referred to as a cross-slope.
Cross-slopes are also used to achieve
good driving dynamics. To counter the
centrifugal forces exerted on a vehicle
manoeuvring a curve, a cross-slope
is installed with a downward slope
towards the centre of the curve. When
roads have a grade towards the cut side
of a slope, the surface water needs to be
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Road Gradients
Providing the vertical alignment of the
road with a gentle longitudal gradient
improves the road surface drainage.
This gradient facilitates the discharge of
water from sections of the road surface
with limited cross-slope. As the levels of
side drains are often set out relative to
the level of the road shoulder, the road
gradient is replicated in the side drains.
Steep road gradients cause surface
water to move rapidly and make surface
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Soil Erosion
T he ma in cha l lenge in terms of
maintaining good quality side drains is
to control erosion and silting. Erosion
is caused by large quantities of water
travelling at high speeds. Soil erosion
can be reduced by various design
measures such as widening the side
drains, installing scour checks, lining
the side drains or by leading the water
away from the road before it builds up a
signicant ow and speed.
The best way to control erosion is by
reducing the amount of water flowing
through the drain. This can be done by
installing sufficient numbers of mitre
drains, cut-off drains and culverts.
These structures limit the amount of
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7.8 Drifts
Culverts are the most common crossdrainage structure used on roads. They
are built using a variety of materials, in
different shapes and sizes, depending on
the preferred design and construction
practices. Culverts are required in order
to (i) allow natural streams to cross the
road, and (ii) discharge surface water
from drains and the areas adjacent to
the road.
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7.7 Culverts
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BUILDING RURAL ROADS
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maintenance problems.
If possible, avoid places with
steep riverbanks. A crossing with
gentle side slopes is the optimal.
This reduces the excavation
work required for building the
approach roads at a reasonable
gradient.
Preferably, the site should be on
a straight length of road.
Drift Approaches
The ideal slope for a drift approach
is 5%. Steeper approach slopes may
cause problems for the traff ic. All
drift approaches should have the same
gradients, so that drivers can establish
a good estimate of safe speeds to travel
across the drifts.
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Surface Materials
It is important to select the appropriate
surface material for the drift, which will
support the traffic as well as stand up
to the expected water ow in the rainy
season.
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Splashes
A splash is a low-cost solution to
crossroad drainage and provides an
inexpensive alternative to culverts. This
drainage structure is normally only
applied to rural roads with very limited
trafc volumes.
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Construction
Obviously, the construction of fords
should take place during the dry season
when water levels are at its lowest.
Equipment and construction materials
need to be assembled in advance, so
work is ready to start when the stream
is at its lowest. Before any construction
can take place, the existing stream
needs to be temporarily diverted away
from the work site.
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CHAPTER
C U L V E R T S
8
C U LV E R T S
BUILDING RURAL ROADS
ULVERTS
8.1 Introduction
Culvert works constitute a significant
part of both rural road construction
and maintenance. Road construction
may obstruct the natural flow of water
unless the crossroad drainage is properly
designed. As a crucial part of the drainage
system, the culverts are also essential for
basic access along a road section.
Culverts a llow water to cross
underneath the road. Their function
is to lead water from the uphill side of
the road to the lower side where it can
be safely discharged. The water may be
from natural streams or run-off surface
water from the road structure or areas
close to the road. There are basically
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sp e ci a l i z e d m a nu f a c t u rer s. T he
standard one metre pipes have the
advantage of being easier to handle,
especia lly during loading a nd
unloading. These pipes can be laid
relying entirely on manual labour.
Culvert Bed
The pipes are laid on a stable bedding,
properly a l i g ne d a nd at c or re c t
levels, preferably at the levels of the
surrounding terrain. If the natural soils
are of good quality, the culvert can be
installed using in-situ materials. Stones
should be removed from the culvert
bed as they may damage the pipes. If
the natural materials are not suitable, a
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Aprons
Aprons are constructed at the inlets
and outlets to protect the culvert
bed and the connecting ditches from
erosion and scouring. At the outer end
of the aprons, it is common practice to
construct a toe wall to prevent water
from eroding the soils underneath
the apron. Aprons and toe walls can
be made of stone, brick, concrete or
gabions.
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Detours
Before starting the excavation of the
culvert trench, traff ic needs to be
diverted away from the work site. When
excavating the trench and laying the
pipes, the road is blocked and traffic
will not be able to pass. If it is not
possible to build a detour outside the
culvert site, the alternative is to build
one half of the culvert while allowing
traffic to pass on the other half of the
roadway. The diversion should be
properly organised to cater for existing
levels and type of trafc, and equipped
with adequate sign posting to avoid any
accidents caused by the diversion.
Excavation Works
Once the position and depth of the
trench have been set out, the excavation
can commence. By digging the trench
starting from the outlet side towards
the inlet, it is possible to keep the
trench free of water. The trench should
be marked with pegs and string lines, to
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T he b e dd i n g su r f a c e s hou ld b e
well compacted, providing a f irm
foundation throughout the length of
the culvert. If the existing soil in the
trench is of poor quality, it is replaced
with a layer of imported materials such
as sand or gravel. The fill material is
watered and compacted in 10 cm layers.
The supervising engineer will normally
insist on inspecting the quality of the
culvert bed before laying pipes and
backlling commence.
Before pouring concrete, make sure
that the compacted ground under the
formwork has been properly watered to
prevent any water being absorbed from
the concrete. If the concrete surface
is kept continuously damp, adequate
curing for a concrete bed would take 4
days following the placing of concrete.
Placing the Pipes
Pipe joints come in different forms. The
most common is the bell and spigot
joint, however larger pipe diameters
often have ush joints without the bell
shape but still with a socket and spigot.
When laying the pipes on the prepared
foundation, start from the outlet and
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I n m o u nt a i n o u s t e r r a i n , r a m p
construction shou ld be avoided.
Suff icient depth of the trench can
then be secured when determining the
vertical alignment of the road.
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